Arias 1

Alma Arias
Professor Beadle
English 113B
April 4, 2016
Identity
Merriam Webster describes identity being who someone is: the name of the person or the
qualities, beliefs, etc. that make a particular person or group different from others. Altogether,
body image, gender, and sexuality play a significant role in determining ones identity. In the
book Every Day by David Leviathan, the main character A changes into a different body each
day and adapts to the persons he/she inhabits life and identity. However, A does not have a body
making it just that much harder to get a real sense of his/her personal identity. The lack of
physical appearance interferes with identifying A and helps conclude that physical appearance
play a significant role in determining a persons identity, gender, and sexuality
Identity describes someone way of being, however As lack of body plays into effect
when trying to figure out who he/she really is. With Rhiannon being the only person that knows
about the existence of A makes it just that more confusing and hard to grasp at times and shows
that in order to have a concrete identity major factors play into effect. After several times of
having been around A it is still difficult for Rhiannon to fully grasp As way of life, You have
to understand that youre the first person to even know me, more time to catch up to the
situation (151). It is very difficult to understand the situation that A is facing so the fact that
Rhiannon still is shocked by the way that A lives is not to blame. Changing into a different body
each day has allowed Rhiannon to know that A exist but however, even though A is him/herself
in those people bodies Rhiannon cant help but put that body into perspective with the way that

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A is. In the article Self -Identity and Culture by Ronald Jackson, Cerise Glenn and Kesha
William they acknowledge the fact that to fully understand self-identity you have to understand
you own self-identity, how you develop and communicate your sense of who you are to others,
helps you answer the who am I. (118). Even though at times we see that A believes that
he/she knows his own self he/she really doesnt because without knowing why he/she is shows
that As existence isnt valid so it doesnt allow it to answer the question of who am I. For
instance, while having a conversation with Rhiannon they talk more in-depth about As life,
there were only two options- something was wrong with everyone else or something was wrong
with me. Because either they were tricking themselves into thinking there was a tomorrow
together, or I was the only person who was leaving (92). While A was growing up it is clear
that it was so, much harder for him/her to understand what was happening and why. It might
reach to a point where it can become too overwhelming and not being able to find stability even
in his/hers own life. In the book, Identity: Sociological Perspective by Steph Lawler identity
is perceived as social growth, Instead of seeing identity as something located within the
person...produced through social relations (2), One way that Lawler defines identity is
through the social relationships that one forms in their live, the importance of this is because the
people around us play a part in determinings a ones identity. Self-identity, just like gender, are
animportant concept in a persons life, having a full understanding of oneself can be seldom
difficult; yet we can only imagine what A might feel.
In present generations, gender change has been more and more accepting and it has
allowed people to live their life as they please. In most cases, change is good but when it comes
to A it is almost as hard to figure where he came from like it is to identify his/her gender. At
certain parts in the reading, we believe to get a sense of where A stands but that once again is

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changes by his actions, I fell in love once, or at least until today I thought I had. His name was
Brandon, and it felt so real (15). Once we believe to get a sense of A gender, the reader just
like Rhiannon, are confuse because he does talk about his close relationship to a guy but at the
most is building a very intimate relationship with her, so classifying A would be very difficult.
Categorizing and identifying people makes understanding our surrounding beneficial but when a
gender is not specified it may become very confusing. Knowing the basics about people makes
interacting with them easier and helps interact with that person in more affective matter. Not
only does the reading at times make the audience question As identity but in the eyes of
Rhiannon we get a sense of confusion with herself and A because she doesnt know how to
identify herself, meaning is she straight, bisexual, or gay which can really affect her self-esteem.
Again in Lawler book she says in a few ways that identifying with gender helps understand who
you are and may also in several cases go along with other identities, In identifying with a
woman, for example, I am identifying with a wider categorycontradictory identities must be
managed (11).Like mentioned before identifying with a gender helps with determinings a
person identity and helps answer questions about themselves and at many times play into effect
with others things that help identity them. In Self-identity and Culture, they touch on the topic
of self-esteem, Social and environmental cues facilitate self-appraisalsthe two go hand in
hand and enable personal growth (121). Not only does Rhiannon often seemed confused but
A, does not get enough personal growth and is not part of society and does not contribute
anything and that can really affect him/her in the long run one example of this is the day when
A goes into Nancy body and Rhiannon says that it is very confusing for her to adjust to all the
changes that A expose her to, it is not so simple to be yourself around a person who is constantly

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changing. Self-identity and gender help a person determine who they are sexuality and the way
that a person perceive themselves and help establish who they are.
Sexuality is the way that someone expresses their sexual desires such as desires or
experiences. Throughout the book, we see Rhiannon and A relationship expanding and at a time,
we see that they have a sexual encounter that might have had a different turn out, The body
is ready. The body is burning with sensation. When Rhiannon as if I want to It feels wrong
(131). Even though A does not carry along with what could have happened because he/she
blames it on Xaviers body part of the reason that A wouldnt feel so comfortable experiencing
that with Rhiannon and A doesnt have enough self-experiences to make a valid excuse to over
stepping boundaries. This is yet how even after wanting to have his/her own experiences being in
the lives of others have denied that to A and have also denied his/her Arias4 possibility of selfidentity. In the book Sexuality: A Physiological Manifesto by Katherine Johnson, she talks
about how a persons sexuality can have a lot to do with a persons growth in identity, to
recognize that an understanding of contemporary sexuality needs to engage with a proliferation
of identity categories, sexual practicesidentity of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (2).
Understanding that sexuality place a huge role in a persons identity helps conclude and
determine that the way that A is engaging with Rhiannon is wrong in the sense that with
changing bodies their might also be a change of sense of understanding. When they were going
to stop themselves for wanting to do, more than hang out A stops but is it because they knew it
was wrong or because it wasnt called for. One thing does not determine who a person is. Many
things like gender, sexuality, and body image have a high level of influence. Considering the fact
that A cannot have a solid response for these shows that his/her identity is near non-existent.

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Even though A changes into a different body each day and lives those peoples lives,
many may argue that A is still able to keep his own identity through the years. One example of
this when A says that, Every day I am myself- but I am also someone else (1). By saying, this
A is acknowledging that his identity has not changed with the transformations and is aware of
his/her well-being. A does however does pick up things from the other lifes and should be aware
that he/she cant truly be him/herself. By engaging in the life of others, he/she is also engaging
with their families, cultures and social norms, such as the cultural and social values that the
families have. By being in someone different A is also picking things up from there life and is
living in others people life rather than his/her own. In the article, Culture and Communications
by Anastasia Kurylo she says, culture refers to more than these groups that voluntarily become
a part of, such as those based on religion, phases of life (4). When A is engaging in the life of
others he/she has to do what they would normally do and respects their life and by doing that he
may go against with what he beliefs influencing his own identity. Many times A shows to have a
self-identity but that is easily changed once again because what he shows is the way of the
persons, he/she taking over, identity instead.
While the word identity can be so broad it is still difficult to say that, A has a selfidentity. The fact that he/she does not have a body it is also neglecting the chance to have a
gender, sexuality, and a body image and that simplistic fact that he/she lack those things can
conclude that he/she is not here. The main reasons why having all things matter is because
growing up it can really scare a person and plays with their understanding for themselves or their
feeling towards others. While the fact that may several thing help make up ones identity the fact
that does not an identity that he/she can says a lot about the way he/she is. The chance of
belonging is at the start denied, since no one knows about his/her actual existence until recently

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Along with having an identity comes a sense of self-actualization and that and by not having
those it shows that in the very least A has his/her own thoughts.
In conclusion, identity is somethings that is determine within someone by the things and
around him or her and even though A has his/her experiences they, for the most part are not
him/herself. All little things that make a person have a sense of themselves are things that A does
not have but not by personal choice but because he does not have a body. Like in the articles and
books sexuality, identity, and gender make up that person and from the different things or
perspectives that they have. Even though it is not by choice, it is harder for A to growth as an
individual because of the things that he/she lacks. Like said in Self-Identity and Culture people
only seem to think about their identity when they are in crisis (120) and A is always saying that
he knows himself but he really does not, well at least according to some of us.

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Work Cited

Leviathan, David. Every Day. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.
Jackson, Ronald, Cerise Glenn, and Kesha Williams. "Self-Identity and Culture." Web. 4

Apr.

2016.
Johnson, Katherine. "Sexuality: A Psychological Manifesto." Google Books. Polity Press.
Web. 04 Apr. 2016.
Lawler, Steph. "Identity: Sociological Perspectives." Google Books. Polity Press. Web. 04 Apr.
2016.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 04 Apr. 2016.